Water heater



Oct. 18, 1966 M. DONIAK WATER HEATER Filed Jul 27, 1964 l 2 5 9 Z K N W AT. "w mm s w W W g h 4 H L i? 1: i E H fl 1 f l i W b j 1 4 m g, WV

United States Patent 3,280,299. WATER HEATER Michael Doniak, 602 E. Euclid St., Compton, Calif. Filed July 27, 1964, Ser. No. 385,346 2 filaims. (Cl. 219-282) This invention relates to a water heater primarily for general household installation and use.

An object of the invention is to provide a water heater that not only is inexpensive to manufacture, but is economical to operate and maintain in efiicient use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electric water heater as above characterized.

Electric water heaters ordinarily are provided with electric heating units that are self-sealed components of considerable expense in that these components not only embody nichrome wire or other such heater elements but also are provided with hermetically sealed enclosures for such elements as well as being provided with means to removably secure such units in operative position. It will be evident that such units are not only items that are expensive, per se, but the necessary machining operation required for their proper installation is also expensive. Further, the operation for interchanging used-up units for new ones is frequently time-consuming due to calcification of the parts, rust, and other such factors.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electric water heater devoid of the above-mentioned faults.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The above-listed objects may be realized in a construction comprising a plurality of heater sections arranged vertically and inter-connected to provide a flow of water that is being heated and which follows a path through said sections that is much longer than the heater itself and provided with transverse tubes extending through each unit and serving to loosely house electric heater elements for heating said tubes and thereby effecting a heat exchange with the water in the heater section and which flows around said tubes toward discharge at the top of the heater.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description and which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an electric water heater according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof, partly broken away to show internal detail.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged and fragmentary front elevational view showing one of several heating components of the present heater.

FIG. 4 is a broken longitudinal sectional view as taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The present electric heater comprises, generally, a watercontaining body 5 having a lower inlet 6 and an upper outlet 7, a plurality of transverse tubes 8 extending through the body 5, each provided at one end with a hinged closure 9, and an electric heater element 10 disposed loosely in each tube. It will be understood that, without invention, said elements 10 are connected in a multiple circuit to a current source to produce heat that beats the wall of the tube 8, the latter having a heat-exchange relationship with water 11 flowing in the heater from its inlet to its outlet. Also, as is usual, thermostatic control, according to the temperature desired for the water, may be provided for the bank of heater elements. In other words, the manner of connecting the elements in an electric circuit does not constitute a novel feature of this invention.

The body 5 is advantageously made of steel, comprising a plurality of round tank sections 12, 13 and 14, one above the other, with the inlet 6 provided in one end of the lower section 12, a tubular vertical connection 15 between the sections 12 and 13 located at the ends thereof opposite to the inlet 6, a second tubular vertical connection 16 between the sections 13 and 14 at the ends of the latter opposite to where section 15 is located, and the outlet 7 being provided in the end of the upper section 14 that is opposite to the location of the connection 16. It will be clear that flow of water in the body 5 follows a back and forth or zigzag course from inlet to outlet and from tank section to tank section that is substantially longer than the height of the body 5, thereby providing maximum contact of the water with the transverse tubes 8 which extend horizontally between and through the opposite walls 17 and 18 of each tank section.

Each said tube 8, three being shown in each tank section, is closed at one end by a plate 19 in which an orifice 20 is provided, and at the opposite end by a hinged cover plate 21 in which slot openings 22 are provided. Thus, the interior of each tube is open at both ends to atmosphere by openings of small size which provide for slow air circulation along the insides of the tubes. The hinged plates 21 afford access to the interiors of the tubes 8. It will be noted that the interiors of said tubes are completely out off from contact with water in the body 5, because the ends of said tubes extend through the tank walls 17 and 18.

The electric heater elements 10 are preferably elongated members that may be loosely introduced into the tubes 8 through the open door 9, the same merely resting, without fastening means, on the bottom of the tubes, as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. In other words, the elements 10 are inserted into or removed from the interiors of tubes 8 merely by opening the door 9 and performing the inserting or removing action and then closing said door. The terminals 23 of each element are arranged to be at the door ends of the tubes, with the circuit Wires 24 extending from said terminals through the openings 22 in the doors.

The heat generated by the elements 10 heats the tubes 8 and the latter effect a heat exchange with the water in the tank sections. The ease with which an element 10 may be replaced is deemed to be evident from the foregoing.

FIGS. 1 and 2, at 25, show a casing 25 for the present heater, one which may be provided with heat-insulated walls in the conventional manner.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An electric water heater comprising:

(a) a body formed of a plurality of tank sections, one above the other, with tubular connections betweenadjacent sections alternately at opposite ends of the sections to provide a zigzag path of water flow in said body,

(b) a plurality of horizontal tubes extending through each section, each surrounded by the water in the tank sections,

(c) an elongated electric heater element loosely disposed in each said tube for heating the water,

(d) and a removable cover with venting holes therein and carried by one end of each tube and, when removed, aifording access to the heater elements for replacement thereof, a plate fixedly closing the other end of each tube and provided with a venting opening,

(e) each heater element having two electric circuit wires at the end thereof directed toward the removable cover, said wires loosely extending through the openings in said covers.

2. In a water heater,

(a) a cylindrical tank section having end closure walls and provided with a water inlet and a water outlet horizontally offset,

(b) a plurality of transverse tubes in the tank section extending between and through said end walls,

(0) a fixed closure wall at one end of each tube provided with a venting hole,

(d) a hinged closure wall at the opposite end of each tube with venting openings therein, and

(e) an elongated electric heater element loosely disposed within each said tube to heat the same and the water in the tank section,

(f) the heater elements being in horizontal position in each tube, the ends of the heating elements adjacent the hinged closure walls of said tubes being provided with at least two electric terminals for currentconducting wires extending from said terminals outwardly through the venting openings in the hinged closure Walls of said tubes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,727,573 9/1929 Tietz 219-320 2,237,808 4/1941 Berg 219282 2,987,604 6/1961 Swoyer 219298 X RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

20 c. L. ALBRITTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ELECTRIC WATER HEATER COMPRISING: (A) A BODY FORMED OF A PLURALITY OF TANK SECTIONS, ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, WITH TUBULAR CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ADJACENT SECTIONS ALTERNATELY AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE SECTIONS TO PROVIDE A ZIGZAG PATH OF WATER FLOW IN SAID BODY, (B) PLURALITY OF HORIZONTAL TUBES EXTENDING THROUGH EACH SECTION, EACH SURROUNDED BY THE WATER IN THE TANK SECTIONS, (C) AN ELONGATED ELECTRIC HEATER ELEMENT LOOSELY DISPOSED IN EACH SAID TUBE FOR HEATING THE WATER, (D) AND A REMOVABLE COVER WITH VENTING HOLES THEREIN AND CARRIED BY ONE END OF EACH TUBE AND, WHEN REMOVED, AFFORDING ACCESS TO THE HEATER ELEMENTS FOR REPLACEMENT THEREOF, A PLATE FIXEDLY CLOSING THE OTHER END OF EACH TUBE AND PROVIDED WITH A VENTING OPENING, (E) EACH HEATER ELEMENT HAVING TWO ELECTRIC CIRCUIT 